


we bloom until we ache

by prayerful



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friends to Lovers, Interviews, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:40:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29579025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prayerful/pseuds/prayerful
Summary: Kenma Kozume does a live TV interview for Bouncing Ball Corp. where he talks about the company, his friends, and Hinata Shouyou.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma
Comments: 20
Kudos: 92





	we bloom until we ache

##  **iv.**

He checks the fit of his suit, his fingers fixing the cufflinks. He picks up the rubber band on the make-up table and begins to loop it around his fingers and onto his shoulder-length hair, tying it low, with some of the hair falling behind his ears. He sighs. _It will do._ He looks at the mirror and runs his hand on his chest to check for creases. He grabs his phone and unlocks it, seeing that it has two messages, one from Kuro, the other from Shouyou, texting him two different versions of good luck. He chuckles and places it in his pocket. He walks out of the dressing room and onto the backstage. The assistants pin the microphone to his blazer as he looks at the crowd seated in front.

He breathes, reassuring himself that this will be the first and last interview he will do for Bouncing Ball. _Just be natural,_ Kuro advises, not that it helped him in any way, especially since he said this after he told Kenma that it would be unscripted. As he hears his name, the curtains part sideways, and he has no other choice but to walk into the spotlight, trying to smile and wave towards the cameras.

“Kozume-san, welcome,” the host says, bowing to Kenma.

“Thank you for inviting me,” Kenma replies as he sits on the opposite couch.

The host smiles with her eyes. “We’re glad we are able to have the CEO of Bouncing Ball today.”

“Ah,” Kenma blushes. “I’m just Kozume.”

The crowd chuckles. 

“Well, Kozume-san, as we all know, Bouncing Ball is becoming more and more popular these days. We’d just like to ask, how did it start? Where did _you_ start?”

“My friend Kuroo introduced it to me one day when we were kids,” Kenma answers bluntly. 

The interviewer nods. “Have you ever entertained the idea of becoming a professional player?”

Kenma shakes his head. “No, not really.”

“Oh,” She replies. Kenma notices her wanting him to say more so he does.

“I just realized in college that I wanted to pursue a career in it, but not necessarily as a professional player.” 

“Then you must know a lot of people in the team!”

Kenma smiles. “Yeah, yeah I do.”

“Could you possibly name drop any of them?” She teases.

“Uh, I used to be teammates with Yaku Morisuke.”

“The player who used to play for Cheegle Ekaterinburg?”

“That’s correct.” 

“Other than him?”

“Well,” Kenma thinks. “We used to play against Karasuno and there are a few Karasuno graduates in the national team.”

The interviewer nods, hinting he could say more. He sighs.

“Like, Kageyama Tobio and,” Kenma stops. He slightly feels his lips forming into a smile. “Hinata Shouyou.”

“Oh?” She raises one eyebrow. She catches that fond smile. “Could you tell us more about Hinata Shouyou?”

“He was part of the national team and now plays for Asas Sao Paulo.” 

“No I mean,” The crowd giggles at Kenma’s answers. “Your relationship with him.”

“With Sho- with Hinata?” 

“You must have a close relationship since you smiled fondly when you said his name.”

“Ah,” Kenma gulps. “We’ve played a lot and grown as players. He made me realize that,”

_“One day,” Shouyou proclaimed. “We're gonna make you say 'it was really fun' or 'it was a hard loss' or 'we're gonna get you next time!' Something... anything other than 'it was just okay'!”_

“Volleyball is fun,” Kenma finishes. 

_I never want it to end._

It was late at night when the idea came to his mind. He was growing idle, with nothing to do, especially since he quit playing. He stares at the ceiling, thinking what he could do. He could always go back to playing for his university, but he won’t get to play with his teammates anymore, nor could he have a match with Shouyou again.

_Shouyou,_ Kenma thought.

He wanted to immerse himself in the sport again, burnt out from college blues. Kenma turned and looked at the business-related books lying on his table. 

_“We're gonna make you say 'it was really fun'!”_

“How can volleyball be fun again?” Kenma asked himself. He closed his eyes.

He imagined the match, the scenery, and the view from where he was standing. Surrounded by barricades and bright lights, he looked for inspiration. He imagined he was still in front of Shouyou, who was smiling at him. He gets lost once again in his eyes but was able to zero in with the large posters of sponsors. 

Kenma blinked. He instantly jumped up and texted Kuro, ‘Maybe I could start a volleyball company?’. He put his phone down and not a minute later, he receives a reply. Kuro is used to this, to Kenma’s sudden bursts of energy, since his creativity works harder at night. ‘Yeah, especially with your business degree. I think it will work.’ The text said, with a small message at the end, ‘Go to sleep.’ Kenma chuckles.

_A volleyball company, huh._ He thought as he lied down again. _With the purpose of making volleyball… fun._

Back in the present, the crowd and interviewer grow silent. 

“That’s why I decided to start Bouncing Ball Corp,” He adds to bring back the conversation to its original purpose.

“Because of Hinata Shouyou?”

Kenma clasps his hands tighter and shakes his head. “Because I realized that volleyball is fun even if you’re not playing, even if you’re just at the sidelines, It will always be fun.”

The interviewer nods her head but changes the subject. “Do you mind us telling more about Hinata Shouyou?”

Kenma burrows his eyebrows. _I thought it was going to be about Bouncing Ball?_

“It’s just that,” The interviewer begins. “The audience is also intrigued with how he helped create Bouncing Ball, how he not only inspired you to play but also inspired you to become a CEO.”

He sighs. So this was what Kuro was talking about. _They’re going to find out sooner or later, anyway. Might as well start now._

Kenma tucks his hair behind his ear and smiles. “What do you want to know?”

The interviewer leans in. “How did it start?”

##  **i.**

It takes Kenma a few years back, to the moment he knew. Did it start with the first meeting? With the first practice match? With the first declaration? No, he couldn’t have known it then because it came in the form of a surprise when Shouyou visited him in Tokyo, while they sat on the rooftop looking at the sky.

Shouyou texted him that he was coming to Tokyo, to visit him. He was in his third year, and Kenma was about to enter university. Shouyou wanted to tell him something, something about fulfilling dreams, but what Kenma first saw was that he was to leave, and he wished to bid goodbye. Somehow he felt his heart sink but he shook out of it and invited him over. They were sitting quietly beside each other looking at the stars.

Shouyou reached out and tapped his shoulder.

“Hey,” He whispered.

Kenma tried to even his breathing. _When did his touch become electric?_

“Hi,” Kenma responded. 

“So,” Shouyou cleared his throat. “I’m leaving.”

 _Where? When? Why?_ “I see,” Kenma told him. “Where are you going?”

“Brazil, Sao Paulo specifically.”

“Far,” Kenma managed to say. “That’s, that’s far, Shouyou.”

Shouyou exhaled. “I know, but I have to get better.”

_Can’t you get better here within my reach?_

_Wait._

_What?_

“I was honestly surprised when my mom agreed. I’m thankful, of course, but underneath it all, it was like,” Shouyou held his breath. “Like I was just waiting for someone to stop me.”

Kenma turned to him. He was about to, but he gets a random flashback of Shouyou’s bright smile on the court. He saw his vibrancy during a match, invigorated with every toss, receive, block and spike. He just couldn’t do it. Kenma wasn’t brave enough to do so, but most importantly, he wasn’t selfish enough to ask Shouyou to stay. Because honestly, who is he but a friend?

_Wait._

It dawned on him, on the obvious fact he continuously ignored. He watched Shouyou continue talking about missing his teammates, how he promised to still call Kenma every night. Kenma tried to focus but everything became blurry and mute when Kenma’s brain keeps on saying,

_You like him, don’t you?_

Throughout the years, he unknowingly put meaning behind lingering looks and touches, shared water bottles, playful teasing during training camps, but dismissed it saying he was just not used to being close with people other than Kuro. But Kuro never spoke in such a way that Kenma’s heart beat twice as fast. When he pats his shoulder, Kenma never winced, never felt he wanted to come closer. But with Shouyou, everything was different. With Shouyou, he thought twice about what he was going to say. With Shouyou, he wanted to crawl into his arms when he called Kenma softly.

_Great,_ Kenma thought. _Perfect timing, Kozume._

“Kenma?” Shouyou called out.

“Hmm?”

“I’m going to miss you.”

Kenma wasn’t sure he could still breathe but he kept it together and even looked straight into Shouyou’s hazel eyes. He smiled.

“Call me often so you won’t have to.”

Shouyou exhaled, somewhat relieved. He reached out and grasped Kenma’s hand. It was the first time he’d done this but it gave Kenma the same feeling anyway - shortness of breath, heightened senses, and flushed cheeks. Good thing it happened at night and Shouyou didn’t see his face nor did he say anything more. Kenma might have exploded but luckily he didn’t have to.

They held hands for a while, and Kenma’s parents were kind enough to let Shouyou sleepover for the night. They never talked about it again, and Shouyou left in the morning. Kenma watched him walk away from their house and he finally found the words he was going to say last night.

“The moon was beautiful last night, wasn’t it, Shouyou?” Kenma whispered but Shouyou was already too far from him.

##  **iv.**

“So it began on the rooftop then, I suppose?” The interviewer now has her chin on her hand, looking intensely at Kenma, immersed in his tale.

Kenma nods. “But Bouncing Ball started a few months later.”

“When he was already in Brazil?”

Kenma nods again. 

It was as if everyone was already on the same page as him, making him already feeling relieved that the crowd did not consist of judgmental grandparents that still believed in preconceived notions about who to love. They understand him, being the same age as him, but still, Kenma hesitates to go on further. 

“So,” She supplies. “Hinata Shouyou.”

The interviewer smiles at him, saying _go on, don’t be scared._

Kenma gulps.

“Yeah,” Kenma tries to smile.

“So you and him… ever since then?”

“Oh no,” Kenma replies. “But maybe if we weren’t just afraid to make the first move.”

The interviewer nods. “Were there instances where you tried changing your dynamics?”

Kenma chuckles as if the memory is still fresh.

“Yeah, we made a bet way, way, back. In retrospect, maybe the clues I shouldn’t have ignored began then.”

##  **ii.**

They were sixteen and seventeen, respectively. It began as a way for Kenma to comfort Shouyou.

“Hmph,” Shouyou pouted.

Kenma tilted his head and pressed pause on his game. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“I’m never finding someone, Kenma,” Shouyou whined.

“Where did that come from?”

“I just realized that I may be the only one who didn’t receive anything last Valentine’s day!”

Kenma wanted to laugh but Shouyou looked so serious.

“I mean, I’m sure you’re not that bad.”

“You think so?” Shouyou puts his face closer to Kenma. He moves back a little.

Kenma nods. “Yeah, I do.”

“But still Kenma, maybe I’m just afraid of growing old alone.”

“You won’t grow old, I’m sure you’re still going to play with Kageyama until you’re eighty.”

“You know what I mean!” Shouyou exclaimed.

Kenma thought fast. “Maybe you won’t have to grow old alone.”

“Huh?”

“Shouyou, let’s make a bet.”

“I’m listening,” Shouyou cocked his head.

Kenma looked at him but looked away towards the fields in front of him.

“If you - If we’re still single by the time we’re thirty,” Kenma began. “Maybe we could try-”

“Us? Dating?” Shouyou asked, staring back intently at Kenma.

Kenma cleared his throat and looked away. “I mean, it was just a random suggestion, you don’t have to say yes. Honestly, Shouyou maybe it’s best if we forget-”

“No,” Shouyou told him seriously. “I don’t want to forget.”

Kenma stared back at him, until Shouyou began waving his hands erratically.

“Ah! I mean, yeah we could try. Yeah, if we’re thirty and still single.”

“Are you sure?” 

Shouyou nodded profusely. “Uh-huh!”

“Okay, its settled then.”

The captains called their attention and Kenma watched Hinata go back to his team.

“Hey,” The captain of Karasuno told Shouyou. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah! Everything’s going to be alright, Ennoshita-san.”

“Oh, okay.”

Kenma smiled to himself and went back to Nekoma.

When Kenma finally entered university, he almost forgot about the bet until someone approached him asking if he wanted to go out with him. Kenma declined him nicely, and the guy understood. They remained friends but Kenma thought he was pretty handsome and thought back to the possible reasons why he would have declined him. He realized then that the bet may have had a greater effect on him than what he initially thought it would have, the promise already etched on his mind every time he saw potential in someone. Shouyou became the priority. No, he had always been the priority for Kenma. 

And maybe, he felt the same way because when they had their regular calls when Shouyou was in Sao Paulo training, Kenma would ask him about meeting people.

“Hmm, no!” Shouyou replied. “No, I’m not really interested.”

“Oh?” Kenma began. “Why is that?”

“I don’t know, actually. Is there something wrong with me?” Shouyou asked, as if he was asking himself.

“No,” Kenma quickly told him. “We’re the same.”

“Oh that’s,” Shouyou laughed awkwardly. “That’s good to hear.”

_That we’re the same or the fact that we’re actively not looking for anyone right now?_ Kenma was not sure. But it gave him relief despite the distance between them. Maybe they were going to fulfill that promise after all. But when and how, when timing was never kind to them.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you!” Shouyou exclaimed. Kenma jumped.

“What?”

“Kenma,” Shouyou called him softly at the end of the other line.

“I’m coming home.”

##  **iv.**

“Oya!” The interviewer exclaims. “Finally, right?”

Kenma giggles at her reaction. “Yeah. But,” He trails off.

“Oh no,” She drops her shoulders. “What happened?”

##  **iii.**

And the interviewer was right. It was finally bestowed upon them the chance to be something Kenma had wanted them to become since high school. Kenma was the one to welcome him back to Japan with open arms. They scheduled gatherings more often just so they could be within each other’s reach. Sometimes, Shouyou even would lean closer and asked if he could stay a bit longer in his home. Kenma had no other answer besides ‘yes’ when it came to him. 

_‘Would you like to go shopping with me?’_

_‘Yes.’_

_‘Kenma, I need to buy some groceries.’_

_‘I’ll go with you.’_

_‘Kenma, can I come to your place?’_

_‘I’ll be home in five minutes.’_

_‘Oh! You’re out, it’s okay!’_

_‘I’m already on my way, Shouyou.’_

When they had Kenma’s home all to themselves, Shouyou would reach for his hand, as if they were back on the rooftop. Kenma would lean on his shoulder as they continued watching the movie, and Shouyou would wrap his arm around Kenma’s shoulder as a response. It began as simple as that, with no questions asked. When they buy groceries for dinner, for when Shouyou stays over, Shouyou calmly reaches for Kenma’s hand and tucks it into the pocket of his hoodie. They would stay like that for the whole trip to 7-11.

One time, when Kenma woke up from his nap, he saw Shouyou curled up to him, his face nuzzled against Kenma’s chest. Kenma would brush his hair away from his face, and slowly return back to his position earlier. He would pull Shouyou closer, and he knew he’d like that because he could feel a smile forming. 

“Hey,” Kuro once called Kenma’s attention when Shouyou was busy talking with someone else.

“Yeah?” Kenma answered.

“When are you going to tell him the truth?”

Kenma stopped drinking his beer. Of course he knew.

Kuro sighs. “You’re not that subtle. I’ve seen the way you look at him ever since high school.”

“I don’t know how he feels.”

“Kenma, the guy can barely stop smiling when he talks to you. I’m sure he feels the same way.”

“But-” _I’m afraid. What if I read the signs wrong? What if he was just being kind?_

“Just be honest with him. You basically grew up with him too.”

Everyone from Karasuno and Nekoma can tell that Kenma grew up with Shouyou. Everyone can tell that he has seen the world in Shouyou’s eyes alongside his own view.

“Okay,” Kenma gulped. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

Just then, he heard a loud greeting of congratulations in the other room. Lev came running into the room where Kuro and Kenma were.

“Hinata’s going to be a part of Asas Sao Paulo!”

Stunned and once again disheartened by timing, Kenma can only stare back at Levi. 

“Do it still,” Kuro whispered. 

“He’s leaving again. Why should I-”

“Because damn it Kenma you like him very, _very_ , much, and he deserves to know before he boards that plane back to Brazil.”

“Kuro, I don’t know if I could do it.”

“Of course you can! Just promise me you’ll do it.”

“Fine,” Kenma said through gritted teeth.

“Or else you’ll give all your assets to me.”

“As if.”

“Rude!”

A few weeks later, Kenma brought Shouyou to the airport. Kenma waited beside Shouyou who couldn’t stop fidgeting in his seat. Once the flight code was announced, Kenma looked at Shouyou and embraced him for a while. He buried his face on Shouyou’s shoulder and Shouyou did the same.

“Are you really not going to stop me?” Shouyou asked.

“Who am I to stop you from your dream?” Kenma responded, his forehead still on Shouyou’s shoulder.

“All I need is just one word from you and I’ll drop everything. You know that, Kenma.”

Kenma looked up. “I’m not that selfish, Shouyou.”

“I know,” Shouyou sighed. “I just wish you would be sometimes, you know? For me, at least.”

Kenma’s heart thumped as Shouyou reached for his suitcase and bag. Before he could walk away from him again, Kenma reached for his hand for the first time.

“Shouyou,” Kenma called.

Shouyou returned his gaze expectantly.

Kenma exhaled. “I don’t want to wait ‘til I’m thirty.”

“What?”

“I don’t want to wait ‘til I’m thirty for us to date because,” _Here goes nothing._ “I like you. I love you, actually. I liked you ever since and I honestly can’t see myself with anyone else.”

Before Shouyou could even respond, he started sniffing and fat tears began streaming down his face.

“Why would you,” Shouyou hiccuped. “Why would you tell me that when my plane’s literally leaving!”

Kenma cupped his face and wiped away his tears with his thumb. “I guess I _am_ selfish, huh?”

Shouyou sniffed and pulled Kenma closer.

“I feel the same way, Kenma,” Shouyou said as he rests his forehead against Kenma’s.

Kenma only smiled. “Good.”

They parted ways in the end, and Kenma walked back to the car, stopping just outside his door to change Shouyou’s name on his phone. He smiled and entered his car.

##  **iv.**

“Eh!” The crowd gasps. 

“So!” The interviewer exclaimed. “What happened?”

“I guess I knew I loved him all along. It was just,” Kenma starts. “Timing was never on our side.”

“How about now?”

Kenma tucks his hair behind his ear. “It’s been going well actually.”

“What do you mean?” She grins.

“I think this interview is almost about to end,” Kenma notes as he checks the time.

“Okay, okay,” She regains composure. “Can we ask one more question before we let you go?”

Kenma nods.

“What is your relationship with Hinata Shouyou?”

He lets his actions speak for himself as he sighs, smiles, and pulls out the golden band hanging from his chest. 

There is a brief silence until the whole studio erupts with merriment, Kenma earning congratulations from every part of the room, from the interviewer herself, the cameramen and the audience. Kenma looks straight at the camera, ignoring the buzzing of his phone, and gives a small wave.

“Kenma,” Shouyou laughs. “You’re embarrassing!” 

Back at home, Shouyou watches with his fingers covering his mouth in shock, his own ring glimmering against their apartment’s lights, the metal piece perfectly resting around his finger, just as Kenma had intended it to be.

**Author's Note:**

> [❀](http://twitter.com/inflamist)


End file.
